Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Book ~ "Seinfeld FAQ: Everything Left to Know about the Show about Nothing" (2015) Nicholas Nigro

From Goodreads ~ Is it a show about nothing or one of the greatest TV series of all time? It's both, of course.Seinfeld 's impact on popular culture was so profound that it continues to this day-years after it left prime time - thanks to its inimitable characters, its wacky, memorable plots (who can forget The Contest or The Puffy Shirt?), and the many catchphrases we use regularly ("not that there's anything wrong with that"). "Seinfeld FAQ" is the first-ever comprehensive guide to the sitcom, tracing its path from modest beginnings to water-cooler-show status and to its infamous, love-it-or-hate-it finale. This humor-filled reference tells all about Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer, as well as the other unforgettable characters in their world. It features season-by-season episode reviews and a wealth of fun facts about everything from the characters' inevitably doomed relationships to their food obsessions and fashion sense (or lack thereof) as well as profiles of actors and other notables. Broad in scope and yet obsessed with detail (like the show itself), this FAQ is essential reading for anyone who wants to be master of the Seinfeld domain.

I was a fan of Seinfeld (1989 - 98) and occasionally watch the reruns. I thought this book would be interesting and it was. And there was a lot of information!

The authors starts by giving the background of what was on TV before Seinfeld came along and the nice clean situations that were covered (and how they were handled). Then we meet the "core four" characters ... Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer. Not only do we get to know about them but we also learn more about the actors who played them. Then we meet the supporting characters like Newman, the Costanzas, the Seinfelds, Susan, J. Peterman, Uncle Leo, Puddy and more, plus the actors who played them.

Then the author summaries every season, episode by episode (all 172 of them). It was interesting to read them in chronological order because these days I just catch them here and there out of sequence. And as I was reading about them, I kept thinking, "I forgot about that one! I forgot about that one!". There was tidbits about the episode ... like how and why the one where Kramer sets fire and then stomps on the Puerto Rican flag has never been shown in syndication. There was information about what the guest actors have done since being on the show. There are also some colour pictures throughout.